Structure Fire at the Montecito Fire Station
By the Montecito Fire Department
Updated News Release - Issued 1:00 p.m. Feb. 26, 2023
Preliminary investigation into the cause of the structure fire at Montecito Fire Station 92 on Saturday, February 25, 2023, determined that the fire started in the firebox of the fireplace in the dayroom of the fire station.
Fire investigators determined that the fire extended out of the firebox and into the wall behind the firebox. Smoke and flames then traveled up the wall from the first floor to the second floor and into the attic. To bring the fire under control, firefighters were required to cut open affected walls of the fire station. As a result of the fire and subsequent fire attack, Station 92 sustained considerable damage to the dayroom, an upstairs bedroom and bathroom, the attic and the chimney. The total cost of the damage is being calculated.
While the fire station is being repaired, Montecito firefighters will be housed on-site at Station 92 in a temporary, mobile housing unit. Montecito Fire Department thanks Anthony Borgatello with All Clean Emergency Services for quickly assisting us with establishing temporary housing so that we can ensure the entire fire district remains covered for emergency response.
Original News Release - Issued 9:00 p.m. Feb. 25, 2023
At approximately 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2023, on-duty firefighters at Montecito Fire Station 92 noticed the smell of smoke in the building and conducted a search to find the source of the smoke. Light smoke was filling the first and second floors of the fire station at 2300 Sycamore Canyon Road.
Firefighters at the station called for a first-alarm structure fire response and brought the fire under control within an hour. Firefighters were challenged by fire extension into the walls on the first and second floors of the fire station, as well as the attic. The extent of the fire’s damage required extensive overhaul work by firefighters. The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation.
Cold Springs Road at Sycamore Canyon Road was closed during the emergency response. It has since reopened.
More than 40 firefighters responded to the fire from Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire Department, Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District and Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
No one was injured as a result of the fire.
Montecito Fire Protection District is actively making arrangements for temporary housing for personnel on the Fire Station 92 property. There will be no reduction in service to the community as a result of this incident.
29 Comments
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Mar 04, 2023 01:28 PMHere is how fire in the fire dept started.
The pretty chimney cap was a non allowed part.
It contained the smoke, fed it into the inside of chase via the double wall cooling system, and cooked the chimney from the inside out.
Big news, the Int Fire Codes require the removal of such caps.
Bigger news, the Int Fire Code requires the removal of every pretty chimney shroud in SB County.
None were ever legal, approved parts, but people did it anyway.
Google
'How shrouds cause chimney fires'
Shroud chimney fire inspectapedia.com
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Feb 28, 2023 04:11 PMSmoke alarms? Somebody remind the firefighters to change their smoke alarm batteries once per year. Oh right, they're the ones who are supposed to do the reminding....I thought the station house fire might have been caused by too many space heaters drawing down on the electric wiring. At least they weren't burning charcoal briquets for heat.....
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Feb 27, 2023 04:57 PMAnd who heard the smoke alarm(s)?
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Feb 27, 2023 03:51 PMout of the 40 who showed up, I guess 35 showed up to heckle
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Feb 27, 2023 02:05 PMIt has been a very low fire season so many fire fighters accustomed to exorbitant overtime/hazard pay are not getting it. Follow the money.
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Feb 27, 2023 12:13 PMSo tell me if they have a fireplace at the station that’s lit when they get a Call to Service do they have somebody stay there and watch it-because I’m sure they know what happens when you leave a fireplace lit 24 /7 because of that’s what happened to Ty Warners at his big house fire
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Feb 27, 2023 09:04 AMWas it the foot massager next to the fireplace? Or did they leave a snuggy on a warmer?was the fireplace ul rated? and who was the architect that did the last overhaul
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Feb 27, 2023 08:41 AMIt would be interesting to know whether the fireplace and chimney has been cleaned and serviced by a professional on a regular basis. Also, are fires left unattended when the station responds to calls?
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Feb 27, 2023 08:31 AMThe department should use Bone Structue Inc , steel framed green homes. The builds can be completed in a short period of time,, are environmentally friendly, produce green energy, earthquake, proof, sustain fires etc… Many homes after the fires in Northern California were built using Bone Structure Inc ….just a thought…the Fire Fighters need a healthy permanent energy efficient place. They provide essential service which benefit all https://bonestructure.ca/en/home/
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Feb 27, 2023 08:29 AMTwo points were raised in my mind by this. First, why does the fire station require a fireplace? Is that not a design element not required in a dormitory setting? Second, why did it require 40 fire fighters? That number seldom, if ever, show up at civilian fires. And they all sign in to get additional hazard pay for fighting the fire.
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Feb 28, 2023 09:02 AMThere is NO additional pay, LOL. C'mon, really? The job is hazardous enough, as evidenced by all the complaining.
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Feb 27, 2023 07:41 AMMy neighbor has fires every night. We have to keep windows shut. So many people are sensitive to smoke. The same goes for laundry soaps and dryer sheets TOXIC air.
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Feb 27, 2023 10:44 AMLUVADUCK How horrible to have your neighbors, via their smoke, dictating to you when you can and can't have your windows open or sit out in your own garden.
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Feb 27, 2023 08:36 AMMine do the same. In the summer it's their fire pit and BBQ. Because of prevailing wind direction, they get the cosy fires and steaks, I get the smoke. Nothing I can do about it except keep my windows shut on that side of the house in the evenings until the wee hours when I get up and set up cross ventilation in my house in the summer. In the winter, they usually don't do it mid-day so I open and close before two or three. I also wear a mask when I blow off my back patio. It gets pollen and soot. The joy of suburbia.
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Feb 27, 2023 06:56 AMTaxpayers to the rescue again…
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Feb 26, 2023 07:52 PMFrom a linked Nordic study in previous science article
" in the whole population, this reflects on average a decrease in life expectancy by 0.25 (0.10-0.36) years"
Average life expectancy in Nordic males is over 80 years old. rather than the 80.5 if they didn't use wood burning stoves. But if they didn't use wood burning stoves they'd freeze to death, which I am confident would lower their life expectancy much much more than 0.25
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Feb 27, 2023 01:23 AMWe got your message. Montecito fire fighters will not freeze to death.
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Feb 26, 2023 07:38 PMI did read it and said it provided context. If the MFD had a fire going and the smoke blew past you on your walk, you don't need to worry... says the study.
I thought science was something we believe in and put on multi colored lawn signs. Look around and you can find that rural Nordic people who exclusively use wood for heating have longer lifespans than most of the rest of the world.
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Feb 26, 2023 05:38 PMEver read "Fahrenheit 451"
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Feb 26, 2023 04:56 PMRural Nordic people have burned wood for heat and cooking for centuries. They also have some of the longest life spans. All Nordic countries exceed the global life expectancy.
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Feb 26, 2023 04:45 PMIt happened to us while burning wood in a Swedish fireplace fire box. The box accumulated creosote over the years. One day it caught on fire. Fire and embers traveled to the roof. Lucky us, it was raining, roof was soaked. The fire instead traveled through a wall and ended up as a scorch on a window sill (a little reminder to get fireplaces and chimneys cleaned).
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Feb 26, 2023 09:49 PMRED CREEK: Or maybe not burn wood and thereby help maintain better air quality.
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Feb 26, 2023 04:41 PMSo firefighters caused a fire in their own fire house?
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Feb 26, 2023 04:36 PMDanes provide context.
https://sciencenordic.com/denmark-diseases-pollution/short-term-exposure-to-high-concentrations-of-wood-smoke-has-no-long-term-effect-study/1382225
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Feb 26, 2023 05:25 PMDid you read the article? It's based off of one time, 3 hr exposure. Not much of a conclusion compared to hundreds of other studies showing long term exposure to particulate matter such as woodsmoke decreases life expectancy and increases chance of cancer and respiratory illness.
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Feb 26, 2023 03:43 PMFiremen burn wood in a fireplace at their Montecito station? Or was this a gas fireplace? If using wood, of all people, firemen should know how bad wood smoke is for one's health. It's absolutely stupefying how ignorant people remain regarding wood burning and wood smoke. Who foots the bill for this extensive damage? The taxpayers.
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Feb 27, 2023 08:25 AM1:24, This Fire Station was totally rebuilt about 10-15 years ago. During the construction, the fire crews operated from a rented home next door. So it should have been built to modern building codes.
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Feb 27, 2023 01:24 AMSo how old is the station and its infrastructure? Do they have central heating? Were they trying to save on their gas bill?
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Feb 27, 2023 01:21 AMI'm shocked, honestly. Ridiculous and anti-message. And at taxpayer expense! What a mess, what a clown show.